T E S T I N G U N D E R R E A L L I G H T N I N G C O N D I T I O N S

Brazil
Test
Facility
Brazil
Test
Facility
Cachoeira Paulista
Since the very first early streamer emission lightning conductors beca-
me available back in the 1980s, INDELEC has always placed conside-
rable importance on proving the effectiveness of its products in the field.
To this end, INDELEC forged close scientific and engineering ties with
the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), who invented the triggering of
lightning discharges.
Research aims common to all the various test campaigns conducted in
Florida, France and Brazil included:
validation of the PREVECTRON

2s technical operating principal (trig-

gering according to how the electrical field grows V/t);
comparative lightning discharge events between simple rod conduc-
tors and the PREVECTRON

2;
measurement of the current of the upward leader emanating from
each type of conductor tip;
a reliability survey of the PREVECTRON

2 by subjecting it to real light-

ning strikes (similar research is also being carried out by our team of
researchers at the Nadachi facility in Japan);
a demonstration of the precursor upward leader witnessed on the
ESELCs, but not on simple rods.
The Cachoeira Paulista test facility is located
within the INPE compound half-way between Sao
Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This geographical loca-
tion (2241.2 S, 4459.0 W & an altitude of
625m) offers ideal tropical storm conditions.
Two experiments began in 1998:
construction of an instrumented test facility desi-
gned to conduct tests under natural lightning on
both a simple tapered rod (r < 1mm), a simple fla-
red rod (r = 15mm) and two PREVECTRON

2;
a lightning triggering platform fitted out with dif-
ferent types of instrumented air terminals. The
discharges are triggered using rockets which
trail a length of copper conductor with a Kevlar
insulated end section.
When launched in the right electrical fields, the
rockets will fly up into the base of the electrically
charged storm cloud and cause a short circuit
with the ground.
A downward leader then moves down the
conducting wire, ending its journey to the ground
freely and independently.
In addition to the rocket launch tubes, the test plat-
form comprises three lightning conductor tips
and is fully instrumented to allow both the low-
level currents of the upward leaders and the high-
level currents of the actual lightning strikes to be
precisely measured.
An electrical field sensor is also attached to one of
the masts at the same height as the tips.
To ensure that the measurements taken are
reliable and to avoid any electromagnetic distor-
tion due to the variations in the ambient electrical
field, all data is sent over fiber optic cable.
Several cameras are also present to help monitor
and record both naturally occurring and triggered
lightning events.
Hydro-Quebec installed a series of automatic
cameras which were triggered optically (lightning
flash) or electromagnetically (induction loop).
The fastest camera is capable of recording 8000
frames per second.
Cachoeira Paulista was specially built in 1998 in the state
of Sao Paulo in Brazil as a dedicated natural and triggered
lightning test facility. Construction was carried out on the
initiative of INDELEC in partnership with the INPE (Brazilian
Space Research Institute) and in collaboration with the
University of Toulouse in France, Hydro-Quebec (IREQ)
in Canada and the Campinas &San Jos Dos Campos
Universities in Brazil.
2001 saw two further teams of research scientists from
France Telecom and their Brazilian counterparts Telebras join
the site.
From the outset, INDELECs teams of scientists and engineers
have been conducting a series of tests designed to compare
the performance of simple rod with that of early streamer
emission lightning conductors. A special instrumented struc-
ture was erected to hold the lightning conductors, as well as
a full range of measuring equipment, and was then subjected
to strikes triggered at high altitude so as to allow the light-
ning to choose its own natural point of impact.
Location of the test facility
Cachoeira Paulista

BRSIL
Sao Paulo
Brasilia
Rio de Janeiro
Launch platform &conductor masts Rocket launch tubes Triggering rocket
Overview of the test facility
Aims of the research
T E S T I N G U N D E R R E A L L I G H T N I N G C O N D I T I O N S
For the first time, video footage allowed scientists to see how the upward
leader develops from the PREVECTRON

2 while, in identical field condi-

tions and at the same instant, the simple rod exhibited no
discernable activity.
In both cases, the flashes were recorded over at least four frames, or
130ms at 30fps. The two images above were captured during naturally
occurring, non-triggered lightning conditions and clearly highlight the
truth behind the theory that the PREVECTRON

2s ionization system
provides for the emission of an early streamer.
Results 1998 2003
The data collected also allowed the precursor currents at the top of
the PREVECTRON

2 lightning rods to be measured and compared with

the activity around the simple rod. The graphs above show the shape
and amplitude of the current signals for both types of tip. The initial
pulses (low-level corona effects with no propagation) appear simulta-
neously on the PREVECTRON

2 lightning conductor and the simple rod.

However, the shape of the current around the PREVECTRON

2 then
shows the triggering of an upward leader, which then propagates until
the first return stroke appears (induction saturation).
During this time, the similarly sized corona around the simple rod
represent its vain attempts to trigger a leader.
Control station Inside the control station LSR-G triggered launch rocket LRS-A triggered launch rocket
LRS-A rockets
Speed: 150m/s
Wire length >800m
Conducting wire: 700m
Non-conducting wire (Kevlar): 100m
1 > Control station,
2 > Electrical power plant, compressed air supply & fuel tank,
3 > Electrical field sensor (launch sensor),
4 > Hydro-Quebec experiment:
automatic video camera (natural & triggered lightning flashes) 75m away
5 > San Jose Dos Campos University experiment (INPE):
vertical element of the radiated electrical field,
6 > Caminas University (UNICAMP) experiment:
electromagnetic induction in a mesh cage,
7 > INDELEC lightning conductor test & measurement launch platform,
8 > Video camera operated from the control station (1) 50m away
9 > Hydro-Quebec experiment:
automatic video camera (natural & triggered lightning flashes) 800m away,
10 > GPS station (Cachoeira INPE),
11 > Geodesic mark,
12 > Isolated tree,
13 > Hydro-Quebec: video camera (8000 fps).
Simple rod PREVECTRON

2 S6.60
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The PREVECTRON

2s basic operating prin-

ciple was verified and shown to comply with
the positive results obtained previously at
Camp Blanding in Florida and Saint Privat
dAllier in France: the PREVECTRON

2s
ionization system reacts automatically as
soon as any sudden build-up in the electrical
field - synonymous with a downward leader
- is detected.
The data collected during the triggered
launches highlights the robust construction of
the PREVECTRON

2 lightning conductor,
capable of withstanding repeated high-intensi-
ty lightning strikes: the average current mea-
sured in a lightning strike triggered at
Cachoeira Paulista is 27kA (compared to just
13.5kA in Florida over the course of the 1993-
94 test campaign at Camp Blanding), with an
average of 6 return strokes (greater than 3kA).
The scientists were able to collect invaluable
tropical storm data over the course of each
test campaign, while INDELECs partners
pursued their research projects, involving
- among others - the study of electromagne-
tic interference on overhead telecommunica-
tions lines. Video footage taken using high-
speed cameras has enabled researchers to
collate an unprecedented series of images
and other information on the build-up of a
lightning strike (see photos of downward
stepped leaders taken from video footage).
A B C
Conclusion
The Cachoeira Paulista facility in Brazil means INDELEC
has been able to pursue its policy of testing its products
under real lightning conditions it began in Florida in 1993.
These test campaigns provide a host of invaluable infor-
mation in terms of both fundamental and applied research:
even today, the uncertainty that shrouds the phenome-
non of lightning continues to fascinate the scientific
community. INDELEC regularly provides new informa-
tion collected over the course of each test campaigns,
thereby contributing to a better understanding of the
lightning phenomenon.
the campaigns also form an essential part of the
companys product development strategy. Testing
allows the PREVECTRON

2 range of lightning conduc-

tors and accessories to be fully evaluated and develo-
ped under real storm conditions.
61, Chemin des Postes - 59500 DOUAI France
Tl : + 33 (0)327 944 944 - Fax : + 33 (0)327 944 955
www.indelec.com - e-mail : contact@indelec.com
In addition to these previously unseen images, the testing carried out under real lightning conditions provided the
following results:
Two concurrent
downward stepped leaders
(taken from Hydro-Quebec video)
Branched
downward stepped leaders
(taken from Hydro-Quebec video)